Career Prospects in National and International Human Rights - Essay Example

Career prospects in national and international human rights of the of the 4 February Career prospects in national and international human rights A career in national and international human rights has become quite challenging with the rapid increase of human rights violations worldwide. Similarly, being a human rights defender would enable one to stand with the oppressed to preserve their rights. This has prompted me to choose my career prospects in national and international human rights whereby I can promote and protect human rights. Human rights defenders all over the world “seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights as well as the promotion, protection and realization of economic, social and cultural rights” (Human Rights Defenders, p. 2). A major role of a human rights defender is to support the victims of human rights violation while propagating messages favouring the preservation of human rights at all levels. Human rights activists have a pivotal role in pressurising governmental policies and prompting governmental agencies to fulfil their human rights obligations. All these factors motivated me to search for career opportunities in human rights. My next thought was how to prepare for a career in human rights and Haugen’s article was instrumental in convincing me of the educational and professional qualifications required of a career in international human rights. Apart from the professional skills of investigation, intervention and cross-cultural experiences Haugen advises academic disciplines related to government, international relations, politics, history, public relations, social work, foreign languages, litigation and criminal laws as desirable requirements for a position in international human rights (Haugen, 2013). Proficiency in the legal field and exposure to litigation and criminal law are added advantages in an international human rights career. Haugen advises prospective human rights activists to choose available courses on litigation, civil and criminal procedure, constitutional law, administrative law, government relations, legislative process, public policy, and international and human rights law (Haugen, 2013). While all these streams may prove to be beneficial to a human rights defender one also need to have considerable amount of cross-cultural experiences. It is also essential to have a thorough knowledge regarding the goals, duties and responsibilities of human rights defenders. In this respect, the United Nation’s fact sheet clearly demonstrates how and in what manner human rights defenders function at the local, regional, national, and international levels against all sorts of human rights violations varying from torture, discrimination, arbitrary arrest and detention, violence against women to ruthless execution and massacre (Human Rights Defenders, pp.2-5). A human rights activist plays a pivotal role in supporting the victims of human rights violation, propagating preservation of human rights, influencing governmental policies, pressurising governments to fulfil their human rights obligations, offering human rights education, mobilising public opinion in favour of human rights victims, implementing international human rights treaties, and securing accountability for human rights violation of all sorts (Human Rights Defenders, pp.2-5). Haugen also emphasises that the duty of a human rights activist is to seek justice for the oppressed and the downtrodden and the author exhorts human rights defenders to have the professional skills of investigation and intervention through which they can protect the victims (Haugen, 2005). All these duties and responsibilities of a human rights activist seem appealing and challenging to me. There is no doubt that the growth of human rights violations all over the world has significantly enhanced the role of human rights defenders. The Human Rights Watch world report offers a concise summary of the human rights violations in more than 90 countries worldwide and as such the report is very much significant. Every human rights activist needs to be aware of the human rights violations that take place around the world. Similarly, a prospective human rights defender also needs to comprehend how human rights defending efforts are at work globally. The Human Rights Watch world report report cites a number of instances for human rights violations from such nations as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria. The report also shows how factors such as international ambivalence and international political coalitions prompt the international community to tolerate human rights violations as well as international actions on nations like Libya (Human Rights Watch, 2012). The report also throws light on many instances where anti-government protests were brutally suppressed and freedom of expression was negated to the victims as in the case of Angola in 2011. Similarly, the report pinpoints that there are instances of human rights violations due to ongoing armed conflicts and brutal attack on civilians as in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One can also see how human rights violations are at wok due to skewed justice, military atrocities, torture and arbitrary detentions, terrorism and anti-terrorism, migration, discrimination in the workplace, negation of women’s and girls’ rights, child abuses and child labour (Human Rights Watch, 2012, p. 472-475). The report has in fact helped me to identify potential areas where a human rights activist can actively get involved It is also worthwhile to analyse the career prospective of a human rights defender. In this respect, Pickles offers a long list of the various human rights career opportunities for aspiring graduates and post graduates in four major categories: Multilaterals; NGOs; Law and Research (Pickles, 2006, p. 2). The article throws light on the various UN agencies that offer internship and career opportunities for aspiring job seekers. The major multilateral UN agencies specialising in human rights issues are the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the UN High Commission for Human Rights (OCHCR) and the UN Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). There are also human rights career opportunities awaiting one within the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), Court of Justice of the European Communities, and the Global Policy Forum. Similarly, NGOs such as Amnesty International, Aide à Toute Détresse (ATD) Fourth World, Article 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression, Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), Centre for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), CAFOD, International Alert, Medecin sans Frontiers/Doctors without Borders (MSF), Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) provide one a unique opportunity to develop an internship in human rights career. Besides, there are also career opportunities in legally related work within the field of human rights consisting of such organizations as the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, and the Centre for Justice and International Law (CEJIL). Thus, I have already collected details of the various organizations providing research opportunities and fellowships in human rights. However, the career of a human rights activist involves many challenges as well. There have been a number of human rights activists who have been harassed, threatened, tortured, arbitrarily arrested, detained, convicted, prosecuted, or kidnapped (Human Rights Defenders, p. 10). Similarly, one also needs to bear in mind that the perpetrators of human rights activists vary from state authorities, armed groups, and transnational corporations to individuals. There is no doubt that the career of a human rights defender involves a lot of satisfaction and happiness to any anthropocentric who is willing to face challenges for a noble cause. Similarly, in spite of the fact that there are highly paid human rights positions worldwide one tends to move beyond such considerations as salary, wages or other economic benefits of being a human rights defender. Conclusions To conclude, it can be stated that a career in national and international human rights offers me with a wide range of career prospective. The career excites me while it also offers immense happiness and satisfaction. I strongly feel that how human rights concerns are still prevalent in all democratic, socialist, capitalist and liberal societies in one form or another. I need to make further researches and studies on human rights preservation. In the same way, I also need to interview a few renowned human rights activist and I strongly believe that I have a lot to learn from them. I also need to motivate myself by reading success stories of effective human rights interventions worldwide. I have also come to understand that foreign policies and international politics shape perspectives on human rights issues worldwide. I am also aware that globalization and the growing relations among world nations have also increased the scope of my career prospective. The increasing number of human rights organizations, governmental or non-governmental and national or international, also offer a number of career choices for me. I feel that every human rights defender needs to begin human rights interventions at the local or regional level and then one has to break away all sorts of national or international barriers to fight against human rights violations in each and every corner of the world. Donnelly (2013) regards human rights as universal rights and as the author points out humanitarian interventions and non-discrimination for all are the twin underlying principles for the preservation of human rights. I agree with Donnelly and would like to remain as a strong preserver of human rights through humanitarian interventions and non-discrimination. References Donnelly, J. (2013). Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice. Cornell University Press. Haugen, Gary. (2005). Preparing for a career in international human rights. International Justice Mission 2005. Retrieved 3 February 2014, from http://www.ijm.ca/resources/ijm/PDFs/PREPARING_FOR_A_CAREER_IN_HUMAN_RIGHTS___By_Gary_Haugen.pdf Human Rights Defenders: protecting the right to defend human rights. United Nations Fact sheet no. 29. Retrieved 3 February 2014, from http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet29en.pdf Human Rights Watch. (2012). World report 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2014, from http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/wr2012.pdf Pickles, Sophia. (2006). Human rights opportunities. SOAS careers service 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2014, from http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/files/pdf/SOASHumanRights.pdf Read More